The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
Bus driver in court over death of Legion stalwart
Forfar man, 49, appears on charge alleging careless or inconsiderate driving
A bus driver has appeared in court over the death of a respected Legion campaigner in Angus.
Michael McKeown, known as Mick, died following a collision involving a double-decker Stagecoach Strathtay bus in Forfar on January 8.
The 78-year-old, a popular figure in the community and former chairman of the town’s Royal British Legion Scotland branch, was walking in Don Street at its junction with North Street at around 11.10am.
He was taken to Ninewells Hospital in Dundee but died as a result of his injuries.
Scott Lamb, from Forfar, appeared in private at the town’s sheriff court in connection with Mr McKeown’s death.
The 49-year-old appeared on petition facing an indictment alleging that he caused Mr McKeown’s death by careless or inconsiderate driving.
Lamb, who no longer works for the firm, made no plea or declaration, was released on bail, and his case was continued for further examination.
A date for his next appearance has yet to be confirmed.
A spokesman for Stagecoach Group said: “I can confirm that the driver no longer works for us.”
Mr McKeown represented Angus and Perthshire on Legion Scotland’s national board of trustees and his funeral service at Lowson Memorial Church was attended by people from all across Scotland.
He joined the British Army at the age of 15 and served for 40 years, obtaining the rank of Regimental Sergeant Major warrant officer class one in the Royal Artillery.
The latter part of his service was spent as a careers adviser at the recruitment office on Barrack Street in Dundee.
Mr McKeown began his involvement with the British Legion in Forfar while he was still serving in the army, taking on the role of chairman.
He was also heavily involved in the inception of the Festival of Remembrance in Dundee.
A keen runner and cyclist, he undertook several challenges to raise money for Legion funds, including a 400-mile cycle from Edinburgh to Wootton Bassett in Wiltshire, a threeweek cycle around the Scottish coast and the London Marathon.
Following Mr McKeown’s death, Police Scotland submitted a report to the procurator fiscal and appealed for witnesses to the incident.
Section 2b of the Road Traffic Act 1988 considers that a person who causes the death of another person by driving a mechanically propelled vehicle on a road or other public place without due care and attention, or without reasonable consideration for other persons, is guilty of an offence.